Troy Aikman sits at a career crossroad, and by the sound of it, even he is unsure of what direction he will take.

Aikman is currently in his final year of a deal with ESPN, where he has been calling Monday Night Football for five years alongside Joe Buck, who has been his broadcast partner for 25 years dating back to the duo’s pairing at Fox. But Buck received a six-year extension worth more than $100 million earlier this year, while potential extension talks between Aikman and the network never materialized.

With talented potential free agents like Greg Olsen also looming, the longer Aikman goes without a deal, the more it feels like a breakup really might be in the works. Speaking with Cowboys insider Mike Fisher, Aikman said that with his job now in limbo, he’s realized he might have taken it for granted for some years.

“As I’m into my last year at ESPN, I’m realizing that this is something that could very well be taken away from me,” Aikman said. “For the first time, I’m realizing how much I really do-I’ve always enjoyed it. I’ve always known that. But until you risk having something taken away from you, I think sometimes you tend to maybe take things for granted.

“And so, for the first time probably in my career, I’m realizing, you know, this is a great profession. It’s been a great ride for me, and I hope it’s not over. Time will tell. But, yeah. So, we’ll see. I’m excited about what the rest of this year holds, and I’m excited to finally get back into the booth for a Super Bowl.”

Aikman noted that he doesn’t feel like he’s at the end of his career, but acknowledged that it’s possible that his next chapter is one outside of the broadcast booth. He promotes his Eight Beer brand, as well as teases the idea of getting involved in a team’s front office should the right analyst role not come around.

“I’m still young. I feel great,” Aikman said. “I do feel there’s another frontier. Maybe that’s Eight Beer. Maybe that’s what that is. I started it since I first made those comments. But I still believe it could very well be something else. And what that might be, like, I’m not talking in code by any means; I’m not real sure.

“Maybe it’s a continuation of broadcasting with some other network, which would be exciting to me. Maybe it’s doing some work with an organization. I really enjoyed the time that I spent with the Miami Dolphins this past offseason. Maybe there could be something there if nothing comes about in broadcasting. Or who knows what might happen. But, for the first time, I’m kinda open for business, and I’m looking forward to figuring out what those options might be.”

There’s still plenty of story to be told with regard to Aikman’s next move. ESPN is broadcasting its first Super Bowl this year, and there’s a lot of time for things to change between now and then, both for Aikman and ESPN, and for the faces that ESPN may be planning on potentially replacing him with. And not for nothing, after so many years of Aikman working alongside Buck, it really is hard to imagine the change happening.

But as Aikman’s latest comments make pretty clear, not to mention the reported blow up between the two a few weeks ago, it’s probably time to start getting used to that potential reality. Buck is locked in as the voice of Monday Night Football at ESPN for some time. The man standing him next season remains an open question.